Fausta's Blog

American and Latin American Politics, Society, and Culture

January 4, 2016 By Fausta

The mini-Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

LatinAmerI’m fighting a cold and the holidays kept me busy, so this week we have a mini-Carnival:

ARGENTINA
Macri wants to rally the country around the old (loser) cause: Argentina’s new government says it will press claims to Falkland Islands. Buenos Aires demands talks over future of disputed territory dashing hopes that Mauricio Macri will offer more conciliatory approach than Cristina Kirchner. The Junta, the Kirchners, and now Macri.

BRAZIL
When do we get to call it a depression? Brazil Heads for Worst Recession Since 1901, Economists Forecast

Eletrobras, The One Brazilian Scandal Almost No One Is Talking About

COLOMBIA
Venezuela suspende envío de gas a Colombia

CUBA

Inside the Cuban Hospitals That Castro Doesn’t Want Tourists to See https://t.co/hsBEN8i0EN by @belenmarty pic.twitter.com/V1czWdxcKb

— PanAm Post (@PanAmPost) December 31, 2015

EL SALVADOR
Human rights in El Salvador: Digging for justice. Survivors of wartime atrocities are questioning the country’s amnesty

JAMAICA
Jamaica smokes world stock markets in 2015

MEXICO
Agents nab Pakistanis with terrorist connections crossing U.S. border

El ‘policía del año’ en Texas era miembro del cártel más peligroso de México. Un policía del Departamento de Houston que fue nombrado como el mejor agente del año suministró armas y vehículos al cártel de Los Zetas desde 2006.

New Documents Expose Texas ‘Cop of the Year’ as Member of Mexico’s ‘Most Dangerous’ Cartel https://t.co/N3aNry9uKw pic.twitter.com/d3ujDjWnRE

— PolicethePoliceACP (@PolicePoliceACP) January 1, 2016

PANAMA
Panama canal expansion to be complete ‘around May’: president

PUERTO RICO
Puerto Rico Is Greece, & These 5 States Are Next To Go

While there are five states with significant challenges (Illinois, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, and Kentucky) , the majority of states have debt service-to-revenue ratios that are more manageable.

VENEZUELA
Venezuela Supreme Court blocks opposition’s parliamentary super-majority in ‘judicial coup’. Judges granted government request to suspend three parliamentarians due to take office next week – taking opposition below two-thirds majority needed to unpick Nicolas Maduro’s grip on power

Looking back on 2015, #Venezuela’s sovereign bond debt remains the worst in the world. https://t.co/biTJCTJYeR

— Prof. Steve Hanke (@steve_hanke) January 2, 2016



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Filed Under: Argentina, Brazil, Carnival of Latin America, Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean, Colombia, Cuba, El Salvador, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Venezuela Tagged With: Fausta' blog, Mauricio Macri, Zetas

December 14, 2015 By Fausta

The Argentina inauguration Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

Mauricio Macri was inaugurated last Thursday as Argentina’s new president. Having created ‘as many problems as possible for the new government’ and behaving as petulantly as usual, Cristina Fernandez skipped the festivities.

ARGENTINA
Argentina’s new government won’t seek to revive Iran deal on JCC bombing probe

Argentina Abandons Pact With Iran to Investigate ’94 Attack at Jewish Center

If you work for MTV and are planning a helicopter trip, you may want to reconsider.

BOLIVIA
Las Valkyrias de Bolivia – the women wrestlers of La Paz (I posted on the cholitas a few years ago).

BRAZIL
More on Odebrecht, Brazilian Builder OAS’s President Arrested in Bribery Probe. Elmar Varjão among executives alleged to have overcharged government on contracts

Corruption in Brazil. Weird justice. The courts treat suspects too harshly, and convicts too leniently

Brazil Senator Sees 2016 Budget Plan With No Primary Surplus. The Brazilian budget proposal for 2016, which could get its final vote in Congress as early as next week, will probably have a fiscal target lower than Finance Minister Joaquim Levy has called for, a senator involved in the budget discussions said.

CHILE
Ex-soldier held after radio caller admits Chile slayings

Police on Friday arrested former conscript to Guillermo Reyes Rammsy, identifying him as the man who made an emotional 25-minute call to a radio program this week. A judge placed him under house arrest.

COLOMBIA
Colombian prosecutor accuses rebels of 150 forced abortions

Oil Production in Colombia Down 1% in November

COSTA RICA
Minnesota native, St. Thomas grad found stabbed to death in Costa Rica hotel room

CUBA
Cuba Begins to Re-Imprison Political Dissidents ‘Freed’ Under Obama Deal

Miami Herald tries to shame the Castro regime into being nice to the White House
Even the Clinton Administration Made an “Effort” to enforce U.S. Law, Cuba Sanctions

Moody’s Reaffirms Cuba’s Credit Rating but Changes Outlook to Positive. As the church lady put it,

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Forced to Flee Dominican Republic for Haiti, Migrants Land in Limbo

ECUADOR
Ecuador signs deal with Sweden for Assange questioning

EL SALVADOR
Two-Month Border Surge Brings Nearly 11000 New Illegal Alien Minors to U.S.

HONDURAS
Mapped: Which countries have the highest murder rates?Central and South America have the highest homicide rates in the world while European cities are least blighted by murder

JAMAICA
Jamaica slips in equal pay global rankings, PSOJ concerned

LATIN AMERICA
Elections Won’t Save Latin America.Global Climate Talks Reveal Misguided Notions of Development Still Prevail

MEXICO
Pope Francis Plans Mexico-U.S. ‘Cross-Border’ Mass During Election Year

Mexican cartel boss ‘El Chapo’ spent heavily to escape maximum security jail, thereby giving new meaning to “the price of freedom”.

PANAMA
Panama’s Ex-President Found in Contempt in Spying Probe

PARAGUAY
South America’s Other Insurgents: Paraguay’s EPP

PERU
American citizen accused of sex trafficking underaged girls in Peru. Peruvian and U.S. authorities say Brown “facilitated sex tourism and exploitation of children”

PUERTO RICO
Puerto Rico Governor: We Won’t Make It to 2016 without Bankruptcy. Island Bigwigs Dismiss Concerns over Waste, Seek DC Approval for “Restructuring”. Capt. Louis could have been Puerto Rican,

VENEZUELA

Quitting before you start. Two Chavista assembly-members elect have already said they won’t take on the seats they were elected for less than a week ago, preferring their old mayor’s jobs. More may follow.

Not by a long shot, Election loss does not mean the end of socialist Venezuela

The Latin Leftist Sore Loser Club

En Venezuela ganó otra vez el castrocomunismo. Lo único cierto es que Venezuela seguirá subyugada a los Castro durante muchos años más y seguirá como trinchera continental del par de sátrapas asesinos que buscan desde allí seguir intoxicando a Latinoamérica con la ideología criminal del marxismo



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Filed Under: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Carnival of Latin America, Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, illegal immigration, Jamaica, Latin America, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Venezuela Tagged With: AMIA, Capt. Louis Renault, Cholitas, Elmar Varjão, EPP, Fausta's blog, Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, Joshua David Brown aka The Beast, Mauricio Macri, Odebrecht, Ricardo Martinelli

November 30, 2015 By Fausta

The Venezuelan passports Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

The big news of the week: Venezuela is issuing passports, voter registrations, to Hezbollah and Syrians – actual, authentically government-issued yet fraudulent passports and voter registrations.

ARGENTINA
Housecleaning: “Mysterious” Fire Hits Argentine Ministry Of Finance, Destroys Years Of Prior Regime’s Files

NSFW: Grupos kirchneristas habrían “meado” la Catedral de Buenos Aires

BARBUDA
Robert DeNiro’s Caribbean Mega-Resort Met with Opposition from Locals

BOLIVIA
Russian Technical Commission to Plan Bolivia Nuke Project

BRAZIL
Head of Brazil’s Largest Investment Bank and a Senator Arrested in Petrobras Probe. Brazil’s federal police arrested André Esteves, the CEO of Brazil’s largest investment bank, and Sen. Delcidio do Amaral, of the ruling Workers’ Party, in a widening of the Petrobras probe.

Soiling the sea

Vale Acknowledges Toxic Waste in River. Brazilian miner Vale acknowledged for the first time the presence of toxic elements in river water following the disastrous failure of a dam at its Samarco joint venture, two days after a critical U.N. report.

CHILE
Chilean Public Employees to Strike

COLOMBIA
Police Seize over 600 Kilos of Cocaine in Southwestern Colombia, presumably from the FARC.

CUBA
Flood of Cuban “migrants” annoys Latin American neighbors

Assad and Castro Are Simply Glorified Terrorists

ECUADOR
Canada warned against getting entangled in the Chevron Shakedown

U.S. Ambassador to Ecuador: Who Is Todd Chapman?

Ecuadorians Run against Correa’s Trade Barriers. Guayaquil Chamber of Commerce Promotes Commercial Freedom with 5K Race

EL SALVADOR
Targeting The Young: Gangs of El Salvador (Part 4)

FALKLAND ISLANDS
Falkland Islanders celebrate demise of the ‘Botox Queen’ Cristina Kirchner and welcome new president Mauricio Macri. The election of Mauricio Macri to succeed Cristina Kirchner is likely to see Argentina present a friendlier face

HONDURAS
Gang Violence Drives Hondurans Away from Home. The Maras Have Displaced Nearly 174,000 Hondurans in a Decade

IMMIGRATION
Number of Migrants Illegally Crossing Rio Grande Rises Sharply

Whistleblower: Many Unaccompanied Migrant Children Placed in Care of Criminals

JAMAICA
Jamaican lottery scammer to spend 20 years in US prison

LATIN AMERICA
Focusing on Latin America Is Essential in 2016

MEXICO
Houston-area former Marine released after being detained with children in Mexico

NICARAGUA
What did I tell you? $50bn Nicaragua canal postponed as Chinese tycoon’s fortunes falter. Environments concerns and Chinese stock market woes mean world’s biggest canal project will not begin for at least another year

PANAMA
Again, Panama canal expansion could suffer new delay – spokesman

PARAGUAY
Official sacked for ‘kicking’ woman. The president of Paraguay fires the head of the country’s indigenous affairs office after he kicks an indigenous woman.

PUERTO RICO
Puerto Rico among Caribbean islands under scrutiny amid pesticide poisoning concerns. Use of banned pesticide not isolated event in US territories

VENEZUELA
Violence breaks out as election season gets going in Venezuela

  • The country’s opposition reports five attacks, two at gunpoint, against its candidates
  • Lilian Tintori, wife of imprisoned leader Leopoldo López, says her life is in danger

FARC Find Big Business in Smuggling Cattle from Venezuela. FARC Profit from Venezuela’s Border Closure, Smuggle Livestock

Reuters: In Venezuela, a tree named “Revolution” wilts from disease



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Filed Under: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Carnival of Latin America, Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, FARC, Honduras, Jamaica, Latin America, Mexico, MS-13, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Venezuela Tagged With: Barbuda, Falkland Islands, Fausta' blog, HK Nicaragua Canal Development Investment Co., Nicaragua canal

November 16, 2015 By Fausta

The Paris massacre Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

The week’s top story everywhere: Pres. Obama declared Isis had been contained on the same day ISIS suicide bombers killed at least 41 people in Beirut, Lebanon. The following day, ISIS claimed responsibility for 128 deaths on a coordinated attack perpetrated on an unarmed citizenry in Paris.

A headline that was mostly ignored, but will have dire repercussions in our hemisphere. Abandoning Past Assurances, U.S. Accepts Iran’s Arming of Hezbollah.

ARGENTINA
Argentine Government Slams High Court for Ordering Disclosure of YPF-Chevron Deal for the development of the giant Vaca Muerta shale formation.

Kirchners Nearly Double Size of Argentinean State in 10 Years. Official Report Warns Current Government Spending Is Unsustainable

China, Argentina pledge continued cooperation regardless of election outcome

BOLIVIA
Bolivia Rules Out Uranium Production, Opts to Focus on Lithium Industry

BRAZIL
Brazil Court Orders Retirement of Judge in Eike Batista Trial. A Brazilian appeals court Thursday ordered the early retirement of the federal judge who had been presiding over the trial of Brazilian businessman Eike Batista.

Immigration to Brazil:No golden door. Forbidding policies take an economic toll

They do not come because Brazil needlessly puts up additional roadblocks. Its legislation on immigration is “anachronistic”, admits Beto Vasconcelos, who handles the issue at the justice ministry in Brasília. The main law dealing with immigration, enacted by generals who ruled from 1964 to 1985, treats foreigners as a menace to national security and to Brazilian workers. It bars non-Brazilians from taking part in political rallies, owning stakes in newspapers or participating actively in trade unions.

CHILE
Bachelet Inaugurates Construction of World’s Largest Telescope in Chile

COLOMBIA
The FARC are not disarming: Colombia’s rebels want peace, but fear giving up their guns

Colombia is Top Cocaine Producer Again, Still Supplying Mexican Cartels

CUBA
Did Secretaries Pritzker, Vilsack and Amb. Thorne Violate U.S. Sanctions Law?

Cuban exile musings: What does it take to qualify as a charming “despot” nowadays?

ECUADOR
Ecuador Forced to Fork Over US$1 Billion to US Oil Firm OXY. Correa Claims Reduced Penalty Is Both a Victory, Attack on Nation’s Sovereignty

EL SALVADOR
Murder rate increases sharply in El Salvador

During the first 10 months of 2015, El Salvador — a country with a population of 6.5 million — reported nearly 5,500 homicides, making it the murder capital of the world, according to Elizabeth Kennedy, a San Diego State University social scientist.

HONDURAS
Honduras Indians’ land being seized by drug gangs and settlers, UN official says. Special rapporteur on indigenous rights finds land invasions and deforestation. Miskitos and other groups demand government help in remote region

JAMAICA
Serial Killers Stalking Jamaica – Researcher, Police Agree That Repeat Offenders Behind Murder Numbers

MEXICO
Mexico’s Teachers Gird for Mandatory Performance Tests. This weekend the first of Mexico’s 1.4 million teachers will start taking performance tests, a core feature of President Enrique Peña Nieto’s education overhaul that has engendered some violent protests.

Mexican Cartels Remain Unrivaled in US Drug Market. Local Gangs Join Forces with Criminal Groups South of the Border, Warns DEA Report

NICARAGUA
Nicaragua OKs canal’s impact studies, clearing way for construction

PANAMA
Panama rushes to secure canal after Paris attacks

PARAGUAY
Structural Problems Perpetuate Widespread Corruption in Paraguay

PERU
AP PHOTOS: Peru’s coca destroyers perform grueling work

PUERTO RICO
Little-known hedgie plays hardball with Puerto Rico’s debt

Puerto Rico: Isle of Disenchantment

URUGUAY
Uruguayan gov’t cuts Syrian family aid for gasoline incident

During a meeting with government officials last month, Merhi Alshebli doused himself with gasoline. He did not light himself on fire. Alshebli and other Syrian refugees resettled in Uruguay last year have complained that the government hasn’t helped enough.

VENEZUELA
Venezuelan president criticises ‘imperialist ambushes’ after two relatives arrested by US for drug trafficking. Franqui Flores de Freitas and Efrain Campo Flores, family of Nicolas Maduro’s wife, appeared before a New York court on drug trafficking charges on Thursday and were remanded in custody

Arrested nephews of Venezuela’s first lady could face life in prison

Good luck with that: Push for Venezuela to allow observers. Lawmakers from the US and Latin America urge Venezuela to allow OAS observers to monitor upcoming legislative elections.



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Filed Under: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Carnival of Latin America, Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Jamaica, Latin America, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Venezuela Tagged With: Chevron, Eike Batista, Fausta's blog, Hezbollah, Vaca Muerta

November 2, 2015 By Fausta

The clock change Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

Twice a year we endure the change from standard to daylight saving time; I wish it would stop. Here’s the first Carnival of the month.

ARGENTINA
Argentine Kingmaker Sergio Massa Spurns Kirchner Ally in Presidential Runoff. Dissident Peronist politician who ran third in first round withholds support for Daniel Scioli. Has not yet directly endorsed Macri.

Argentina notebook: Passion and politics in the Paris of the South. Bohemian Buenos Aires is buzzing with election fever, writes Harriet Alexander. And in this most intriguing of cities, things can change in an instant – and nothing is quite what it seems. I’ve to Paris, and I’ve been to Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires is no Paris.

More Forget it Jake, it’s Chinatown: On the Nisman case, InSight Crime links to a report,

imprisoned Colombian drug trafficker Henry de Jesus Lopez, alias “Mi Sangre,” has come forward claiming to have information on the case. With only a month until the run-off, any new information linking the Kirchner administration to Nisman’s death could hurt Scioli by association.

Mi Sangre (My Blood) is trying to avoid deportation to the US by claiming that then-Intelligence chief Stiusso took over the cartel’s surveillance equipment, and gave it to Nisman, who used it for wiretapping members of the government.

So on the one hand the government alleges that Nisman had American and Israeli backers that made him rich; now this Mi Sangre guy tries to avoid deportation by saying that Stiusso stole surveillance equipment because Nisman couldn’t afford it.

BOLIVIA
Bolivia’s New Mega Airport Renews Narco-State Suspicions. Senate President Condemns “Unjustifiable Expense”

BRAZIL
Brazil’s Federal Police to Question Son of Former President. Brazil’s Federal Police will question Luis Claudio Lula da Silva, one of the sons of the country’s former president, as part of an investigation into whether companies bribed Brazilian tax officials.

Amazon fires: Brazil indigenous reserve blazes contained

CHILE
Chilean Desert, One Of The Driest Places On Earth, Is Awash In Flowers

Oopsie, Chile seizes erotic book from schools. The Chilean government begins seizing copies of an erotic version of the classic fairytale that was mistakenly distributed to 283 primary schools. Little Red Riding Hood Eats the Wolf?

COLOMBIA
Ending a war: Lessons from Colombia. Outsiders should not unpick a hard-won compromise between peace, truth and justice

There are still many loose ends. The ELN, a smaller guerrilla group, is not making peace. Many FARC leaders seem far from becoming democrats. The government must act fast to organise international monitoring of the FARC’s disarmament, to provide security in areas where the conflict has been most intense and to promote rural development so that ex-guerrillas can find jobs. Cutting the flow of drug money that funds the FARC is also important—though, as long as cocaine is illegal around the world, the trade will remain so profitable that this will be hard. Colombia must avoid what happened after civil wars in Central America in the 1980s and 1990s, where peace led to an explosion of violent crime. In all this it will need the understanding and support of the outside world.

Poll Finds Colombians Fear Return of FARC Terrorists.

A new poll shows that, despite public support for a peace deal with the FARC terrorist group, a significant portion of the population of Colombia remains uncomfortable with the idea of FARC terrorists abandoning the guerrilla lifestyle and settling into civilian life.

Video: El Nueve, the life and work of a Colombian combat photographer

CUBA
40 days later, Cuban activists arrested at Papal Mass remain in jail

A Look at How Cuba’s Working Class Lives

ECUADOR
Censorship Cloud Hangs Over 300 Ecuadorian TV, Radio Stations. Correa to Clear Airwaves of Independent Voices on Technicality, Warns NGO

EL SALVADOR
Why are There No Gangs in Berlin, El Salvador?

MEXICO
Mexican army makes new arrests in Iguala massacre investigation. Among those detained is the mayor of Cocula, where the bodies were reportedly incinerated

Mexico deploys its navy to face its latest threat: Monster seaweed. Sargassum seaweed has washed up on beaches in the Caribbean in record amounts, causing a crisis.

PANAMA
Leaky Locks May Further Delay $5.3 Billion Panama Canal Widening

PARAGUAY
Ruins of Jesuit missions draw tourists in Paraguay

PERU
Archaeologists Make New Discoveries at Site in Peru

A complex of ancient Inca platforms, a storeroom and a ceremonial court were unearthed while maintenance and preservation works were underway at Ollantaytambo archaeological park in the southern Peruvian region of Cuzco, officials said.

PUERTO RICO
U.S. to clean one of Puerto Rico’s worst polluted waterways. Let’s hope the locals stop using it as a dump.

URUGUAY
Is Uruguay on the Path to Venezuelan Totalitarianism?Marcel Granier of Radio Caracas Television Warns of Incremental Tyranny

VENEZUELA
Venezuelan President Says He Will Sue U.S. Nicolás Maduro said he would file suit against the Obama administration in a bid to lift an executive order declaring the South American country an extraordinary threat to U.S. national security.

Venezuelan Siblings Spend 67 Days in Jail for “Heckling” Tourism Minister. Prison Nightmare Comes to an End as Johan and Joselyn Prato Await Trial

Get Ready For A Venezuelan Mariel

Venezuela is running out of cash and selling its gold. It looks like Putin’s not taking charge cards for payment of those 12 Sukhoi-30s.



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Filed Under: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Carnival of Latin America, Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Jamaica, Latin America, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Venezuela Tagged With: Adán "El Tomate" Zenen Casrrubias, Alberto Nisman, Antonio Stiusso, Eric Ulieses Ramírez, Henry de Jesus Lopez aka Mi Sangre, Iguala, Luis Claudio Lula da Silva, Nicolas Maduro

October 19, 2015 By Fausta

The Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

ARGENTINA
AMIA prosecutors file request letter to US on Stiuso’s whereabouts

The persistence of Peronism: Argentina’s dominant political brand is defined by power, not ideology.

To the extent that it has an ideology it is a vague blend of nationalism and labourism, expressed in the PJ’s founding “three banners” of political sovereignty, economic independence and social justice.

Power as an end in itself,

Rather than ideas, Peronism embodies a consistent set of political emotions and practices. Perón declared in 1951: “The masses don’t think, the masses feel and they have more or less intuitive and organised reactions. Who produces those reactions? Their leader.” His second wife, Eva Duarte, touched the hearts of the masses. Ms Fernández has proved to be an accomplished disciple: she has ruthlessly pursued popularity by postponing inevitable economic belt-tightening, by exploiting her widowhood and by associating herself with Pope Francis, an Argentine who has Peronist roots.

Argentinian artists risk religious wrath with ‘Barbie, The Plastic Religion’

BAHAMAS
Bahamas Reports More Than $60 Million in Damage from Hurricane Joaquin

BOLIVIA
Commodity Price Decline to Cost Bolivia $3 Billion, Government Says

BRAZIL
Brazil Police Launch Preliminary Probe into Rousseff’s Re-Election Campaign

COLOMBIA
Ex-president Pastrana resigns from ‘Super Commission’ for peace

However, on Thursday he resigned from the commission citing his disappointment in the transitional justice deal which he claims was “the biggest concession achieved by the FARC after the acceptance of drug-trafficking as a crime connected to their ideals.”

COSTA RICA
Drug Raids Reveal Italian Mafia Presence in Costa Rica

CUBA
Within the Past Year: Assad, Putin and Castro Ties

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Haiti, Dominican Republic to reopen talks on migration, trade disputes. The presidents of Haiti and the Dominican Republic have agreed to resume talks to resolve disputes on migration and trade. Relations between the neighbors on the island of Hispaniola have been strained.

ECUADOR
Ecuador’s Rafael Correa pushes for foreign investment

But with an unfriendly business environment, Correa may find it hard to entice the private sector to pick up the slack.

EL SALVADOR
A murder every hour: How gang warfare has turned El Salvador into the world’s most violent nation

In August alone there were 911 murders – an average of nearly 30 a day.

In one incident, 14 members of one of the country’s most powerful street gangs were killed in a prison.

The dead were said to have belonged to ‘Barrio 18’ gang ‘Faccion Revolucionarios’, or Revolutionaries’ Faction.

Normally at war with rival gang ‘Mara Salvatrucha’, an internal power struggle between Revolucionarios and Surenos (Southerners) has seen the violence – and death toll – soar.

HAITI
Life miserable for Haitians expelled from Dominican Republic

MEXICO
ebook: The Wounded Eagle: Three years in the Mexican drug war, 2010-2012.

A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.

EXCLUSIVE: ARREST OF GULF CARTEL BOSS TRIGGERS CHAOS NEAR TEXAS BORDER

PANAMA
Over 10 tonnes of drugs go up in smoke in Panama

VENEZUELA
Oil nations feel the strain of  Opec’s continuing price war. Crisis-hit Venezuela to press for change in policy, reports Andrew Critchlow



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Filed Under: Argentina, Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, Carnival of Latin America, Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Haiti, Mexico, Panama Tagged With: Fausta's blog

October 12, 2015 By Fausta

The Columbus Day Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

ARGENTINA
Why Does Argentina Keep Shielding Iran?

Behind the scenes, Pope Francis wields clout in Argentina homeland

Following the mysterious death of a prosecutor who had indicted Mrs. Fernandez on conspiracy charges, Francis in January stepped in forcefully to keep the president from being deposed in a “soft coup,” The Washington Times learned from a close personal friend of the pope.

Local magnates had plotted to seize the moment and oust the president after Alberto Nisman was found with a gunshot wound to his head hours before he was due to testify on a supposed top-level cover-up of Iran’s suspected involvement in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires.

But through calls and intermediaries, Francis persuaded “the right people at the right moment” to let Mrs. Fernandez serve our her second term, set to expire Dec. 10, Gustavo Vera, a Buenos Aires legislator and social activist who maintains a close friendship with the former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, said.

Cristina stops by the Vatican frequently, and has had six private audiences with Francis.

Argentina’s La Presidenta Boogies Like She’s Hillary Clinton

BOLIVIA
Bolivia, Russia Sign Nuclear Cooperation Agreement

Rosatom will assist in the establishment of a nuclear research institute, including training for staff, Energy Minister Luis Sanchez said from Moscow in comments reported by official news agency ABI.

The pact also anticipates that Rosatom will advise the Bolivian government on how to educate the population about the nuclear power initiative, seen as necessary in light of the rejection by residents of La Paz of plans to build a nuclear research center in their neighborhood.

Besides power generation, Bolivia will use peaceful nuclear technology for medical applications and devices employed in geological research and prospecting for oil and gas, the minister said.

BRAZIL
Legal Setbacks Buffet Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.Rulings set up possible path to unpopular leader’s impeachment, but prospect remains distant

CHILE
Pope Francis angers victims of sex abuse after calling protesters ‘dumb’. Pope made remarks at Vatican to a group of Chileans who have been protesting against a bishop alleged to be complicit in a sex abuse scandal

Bachelet’s Brand of Austerity Is Too Little, Too Late. Slowing Government Spending Growth to 6 Percent Isn’t Going to Cut It

Augusto Pinochet ordered killing in US, declassified documents reveal. Gen Augusto Pinochet ‘directly ordered the 1976 assassination of a Chilean diplomat in Washington’

COLOMBIA
“War is Peace; Freedom is Slavery; Ignorance is Strength;” Uribe loyalists are Colombia’s ‘new terrorists’: Senate peace commission chairman

U.S. Envoy Bernard Aronson Pushes Peace in Colombia. Diplomat says largely secret talks between government and FARC rebels suffered ‘near-death experience’ before last month’s breakthrough

CUBA
Raul Castro’s demands for Gitmo plus reparations show Cuba still a prime enemy

EL SALVADOR
Violence in El Salvador:Rivers of blood. A crackdown on gangs has so far made things worse

GUATEMALA
Risk of new landslide in Guatemala.Guatemalan authorities order the evacuation of some 40 families from an area where a landslide killed at least

GUYANA
Venezuela accuses Guyana of lying about border dispute

HONDURAS
US brings drug charges against powerful Honduran family.The Rosenthals own a large business conglomerate and have important political ties

The indictment charged Jaime Rolando Rosenthal Oliva; his son Yani Benjamin Rosenthal Hidalgo; and his nephew Yankel Antonio Rosenthal Coello.

Honduras football boss Yankel Rosenthal charged in US

MEXICO
Good luck with that: Mexico’s President to Propose Bill to Improve Efforts to Locate 25,000 Missing. Legislation aims to improve coordination between authorities in search for people missing since war on drugs began

PANAMA
Panama engages investors ahead of funding forays

PARAGUAY
Companies Flee Brazil for Paraguay’s Greener Pastures. Businesses Look to Move Investments Off Rousseff’s Sinking Ship

PERU
Peru’s Economic Woes Echo Latin America’s. Chosen by the IMF as host of its annual meeting to celebrate the region’s growth, it’s now a symbol of economic struggle

Just like their counterparts at the central bank, Peruvian government officials are finding that some of the usual ways to propel a developing economy don’t work in this case. In particular, Peru cannot take the common step of expanding its industrial sector to export value-added products rather than raw materials because of globalized value chains and an oversupply of industrial facilities in China, said Piero Ghezzi, Peru’s minister of production.

Hedge funds are threatening Peru with a lawsuit: US hedge fund threatens to sue Peru. A US hedge fund threatens to sue Peru over bonds issued by the country’s former military regime.

PUERTO RICO
Puerto Rico May Not Be Able to Avoid Defaults, Adviser Says. I am shocked, shocked!

VENEZUELA
Here’s What Happened When Venezuela Imposed Gun Control Laws

Venezuela is now the most expensive country in the world; hands down



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Filed Under: Alvaro Uribe, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Carnival of Latin America, Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Latin America, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Pope Francis I, Puerto Rico, Venezuela Tagged With: Capt. Louis Renault, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, Dilma Rousseff, Fausta's blog, Jaime Rolando Rosenthal Oliva, Yani Benjamin Rosenthal Hidalgo, Yankel Antonio Rosenthal Coello

September 14, 2015 By Fausta

The pre-papal visit Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

Starting on September 19th, Pope Francis will be traveling to Cuba and the U.S.. The Communist regime’s propaganda machine announced it will be releasing 3,522 prison inmates, none of which is a dissident;

The latest 3,522 prisoners to be freed will include minors, people over the age of 60, prisoners in poor health and foreigners who will be repatriated, according to the Granma newspaper. It said there will be no releases of those convicted of “crimes against state security”.

Over in Philly, pop-up-popes are springing up all over town:

Pope Francis: The Patron Saint of Tourism: https://t.co/scExf03xIP via @YahooTravel. #PopeInPhilly #ISEPTAPHILLY pic.twitter.com/OWTlqa4ZvG

— ISEPTAPHILLY (@SEPTAPHILLY) September 2, 2015

Because we went to catholic school for 12 years @ McGillin’s Olde Ale House https://t.co/VwCY3sUlll — breana lynn (@brieebev) September 5, 2015

ARGENTINA
Argentine Court Blocks Proclamation of Winner in Provincial Vote

An Argentine court on Tuesday ordered the electoral board of the northern province of Tucuman not to declare any winner in the Aug. 23 gubernatorial election until a move to have the ballot overturned is resolved.

Jorge Lanata’s investigation showed votes bought with drugs (video in Spanish):

Alberto Nisman could not have killed himself, ballistics tests show. The prosecutor investigating Argentina’s worst-ever terrorist attack was shot dead by someone else

Conferencia: “Escenario económico y político de la Argentina preelectoral”

Llegamos a Estados Unidos!

BERMUDA
Significant Amendments Made To Bermuda’s Partnership Legislation

BOLIVIA
WATCH: SANDRA BULLOCK TAKES ON BOLIVIAN POLITICS IN ‘OUR BRAND IN CRISIS’

BRAZIL
Brazilian Police Seek to Question Former President in Petrobras Probe. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his ruling Workers’ Party ‘could have benefited,’ authorities say. An understatement if there ever was one.

Brazil to Auction Hydroelectric Plants. Brazil plans to auction off 29 power plants to private operators Oct. 30, a government official said, a move that is expected to bring the cash-strapped government about $4.4 billion.

Down to BB+: S&P Cuts Brazil’s Debt Rating to Junk. Brazil lost its coveted investment-grade credit rating in the eyes of one major firm on Wednesday, dealing a blow to the government’s credibility with investors and threatening to aggravate its economic downturn.

CHILE
Chilean Police Arrest 2 in Robbery of Bachelet’s Security Team

COLOMBIA
Bulletproof Vest Saves Colombian Mayoral Candidate

Cloud of Secrecy Obscures Colombia’s Human-Trafficking Blight. Reported Cases the Tip of the Iceberg, Say Anti-Trafficking Specialists

CUBA
Normalization update: Tens of thousands of Cubans streaming into U.S. through southwestern border

Free Education in Cuba? Sort of / Ivan Garcia

Castro’s Empty Barabbas Politics For The Pope

ECUADOR
Ecuador Moves to Shut Down Press Freedom Group

Rafael Correa’s Fairyland of Misinformation. Lies, Distortions Are All Ecuador’s Delusional President Has Left

EL SALVADOR
El Salvador baby-swap couple reunited with child

GUATEMALA
Guatemala Outsources a Corruption Crackdown.A U.N.-sponsored agency has put Guatemala’s president and much of its political elite behind bars, in one of the most sweeping anticorruption campaigns ever

The International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala, or Cicig, has broad powers to launch its own criminal investigations. It then works alongside Guatemala’s own attorney general’s office to prosecute cases in local courts. Its staff hails from 20 countries, from Italians who have tussled with the Mafia to Colombian anti-money-laundering experts.

GUYANA
Guyana to press UN strongly for judicial end to Venezuela controversy – Granger

IMMIGRATION
Two Out of Three Hispanics Oppose Immigration Increase

Only 34 percent of U.S.-born Hispanics, and 33 percent of foreign-born Hispanics, want to increase legal immigration, said the Gallup report.

Sixty-four percent of each group of Hispanics want migration to be reduced or leveled, said Gallup, which released the report under a misleading headline, “U.S. Support for Increased Immigration Up to 25%.”

JAMAICA
Jamaica contributes US$100,000 to flood-hit Dominica

MEXICO
‘El Chapo’ Guzman escape: Mexican prison officials charged. Four Mexican officials have been charged with aiding the escape of the notorious drugs lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman from a maximum security prison.

PANAMA
Uh oh! New Panama Canal lock leaking

PARAGUAY
Paraguay Guerrilla Splinter Group Brought Back Into Fold?

New evidence has emerged suggesting ACA guerrilla rebels in Paraguay have reunited with their cousins in the EPP, likely marking the end of a tiny guerrilla organization that has suffered several casualties and arrests of top leaders since breaking away last year.

PERU
Over 5,000 Chinese citizens applied for Peru visas

PUERTO RICO
S&P Lowers Puerto Rico’s Credit Rating to Its Second-to-Last Rung

Puerto Rico Debt Crisis: A Bond Guide as Potential Defaults Loom, or, a brief guide to Russian roulette, money-wise?

Puerto Rico’s debt. No way out

URUGUAY
Uruguay will help Syrian refugees reach another country

[President Tabare] Vazquez said Uruguay has reached out to Lebanon because that’s where the refugees would like to go. Since Lebanon is not willing to welcome them, his government is asking the five Syrian families to choose another country.

Last February’s report on domestic abuse within one of the families (note that the 5 families are comprised of 80 people):

VENEZUELA
Venezuela Takes Out Full-Page NYT Ad to Defend Violent Deportation Spree

Court Rules TV Network Shut Down by Chávez Must Be Reinstated. RCTV President Celebrates Venezuelans’ “Right to Be Informed”. Good luck with that:

On Monday, September 7, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) issued a ruling ordering the Venezuela government to restore the network’s broadcasting license and return all seized assets.

Miserable Decision Against Leopoldo Lopez No Surprise

VenEconomy: Justice of Horror Enforced All the Way in Venezuela

The week’s posts and podcast:
9/11/2001: It is altogether fitting and proper

Venezuela: Lopez sentenced to 13+ years UPDATED

September 11: In memory of Joe Angelini, Jr.

Argentina: #Nisman could not have shot himself

Colombia: Is the U.S. pressuring Uribe to accept FARC terms?

Mexico: A fifth bus on the Iguala students case

Panama: New leaks

Authenticity

Guatemala: Comedian wins first round

Uruguay: Syrians don’t like it

Podcasting live now http://t.co/u7OxyOwPu1 on @SCantojr's show

— Fausta (@Fausta) September 10, 2015



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Filed Under: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Carnival of Latin America, Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean, Catholic Church, Chile, Colombia, corruption, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, immigration, Jamaica, Lula, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Pope Francis I, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Venezuela Tagged With: Alberto Nisman, Bermuda, Chapo Guzmán, Cicig, Fausta's blog, Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, Sandra Bullock

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